Read-Handed: Dallas diamonds and New Jersey Nazis
the true crime that's worth your time
Plus Maris Kreizman, Martha Stewart, "Fatal Vision," and maggot science in our recent-reads round-up.
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Certified Dallasite here. Rena Pederson was a must read in the days when The Dallas Morning News actually had reporters on staff and was relatively bearable. I dove into this book with the enthusiasm of a Katmai brown bear during fat bear week. The story did not disappoint, and I wondered whether I was just mistaking familiarity for fun. My parents attended parties with some of the victims of these heists, and it was exciting to read about people and places long gone now (RIP, Cipango Club). I’m sure DPD was as corrupt as anything - one thing the Karen Read case should have taught us is that the thin blue line ain’t so thin, and it will extend protection to society’s favorites. At the time, there were a handful of truly high rollers in Dallas and everyone knew who they were. Looking back, this book fills in a LOT of the gaps I had as a child; stuff just makes more sense. For me, this book was absolutely filled with escandalo, and I’m glad you enjoyed it, too.
I have I Want to Burn This Place Down on hold at the library and looking forward to reading it!